Safety belts - and their child safety seat counterparts - have been shown to save lives and lower the risk of serious injuries. They can't do that if ignored or used improperly.

Federal law requires passenger vehicles to be equipped with safety restraint systems. State laws should likewise enforce their use.

Why should government infringe on this part of our freedom?

Because too often, people injured in car crashes aren't fully covered by insurance and the state (i.e. taxpayers) must assume medical bills. Studies show responsible drivers pay higher insurance premiums because of costlier claims by unbelted motorists injured even in fender-bender accidents.

A rollover accident on North Memorial Parkway this week in which an unbuckled toddler was thrown from the vehicle underscores the importance of using restraint systems. Fortunately, the 3-year-old boy and his mother received only minor injuries.

They beat the odds given the circumstances of the accident.

The stiffer the fines and the greater the awareness of the safety risk for not wearing seat belts, the greater the incentive for compliance.

Despite constant drumbeats to buckle up by trauma experts and highly publicized click-it-or-ticket campaigns, too many motorists just don't bother with seat belts,

They're uncomfortable, or, "my child is too squirmy when fastened in," or "I'm just running a short errand and will be right back."

In the recent rollover case, the mother won't be cited for violating the child restraint law because police did not physically witness the belt violation.

According to Huntsville police, Alabama law says the only citations that can be issued after an accident or at the scene of an accident are DUI violations and failure to provide proof of mandatory liability insurance violations. The Legislature should amend this part of the law to allow an after-the-fact ticket for failing to follow the child safety restraint law.

Stiffer fines should also be considered. Failure to wear a safety belt is only a $10 fine under state law with no authorization for court costs. It's $25 for violating the child restraint law. Records show even a littering offense can draw up to a $500 fine.

For years, Alabama refused to require drivers and passengers in cars to wear seat belts. A law was passed in 1992 making it a secondary offense which barred police from stopping someone on that violation alone. It was made a primary offense in 1999.

Every child 5 years old and younger must be in a car seat or booster in the rear seat except in the case of pickup trucks. The law calls for rear-facing seats until age 1 or weighing no more than 20 pounds; front facing seats until age 5 or weighing more than 40 pounds; booster seats for those over 40 pounds until age 6, and a seat belt after that until age 15.

No rational person should argue that child restraint laws violates parents' rights. Such rights end where a child's safety is recklessly endangered through no fault of their own.